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| - Today I want to tell you about a doctor and a person for whom I have sincere gratitude and respect. The practice is called Dynamic Pain Réhabilitation (DPR) and the doctor in question is Dr. Alexander Imas. He is one of only two physicians that I recommend to others (always a risky proposition), and have never heard of a negative outcome.
So, why take the time to write? Because in the four years i've been going to see him, he has systematically and methodically given me the tools to save my own life. Sounds dramatic, doesn't it? You would have to understand where I've been to appreciate what he has done. So I'll tell you the story.
In 2000-01, I had a series of accidents (3 of them). I wasn't healing. A doctor sent me to Mayo, where they recommended that I see a PMR doctor, and by 2004 said doctor had me in a wheelchair and on a whole lot of meds. Despite fearing addiction and taking the bare minimum of pills, prescribed pain patches made me an over-medicated zombie in that chair for the rest of the decade until I broke my leg in 2010. I spent almost a year in the hospital after having leg surgery. I don't know exactly what happened to me, but I woke up over two months later in a different hospital. I know I had been on life support, and woke up with a bunch of health issues because of multiple organ failure. It was the first time anyone questioned the PMR treatment, and all those drugs. I learned that I would need to make a lot of changes if I wanted to stay alive (damaged heart, lung, liver and kidneys). There was a new pain regimen which now centered around methadone. A few months later, Dr. Imas was recommended to me.
The first thing I told Dr. Imas was that I wanted to regain my health. He has created a regimen that helped me leave the drug stupor of the previous doctors behind. He had a lot to think about in my complex situation, but chose meds carefully to not conflict with the other things I was taking. And he helped me manage pain. Over time he has helped me to get off narcotics. I am free of methadone now, and learning a whole new way to be. My quality of life has improved so much, in no small part due to Dr. Imas' care. I still have pain, but he has been very attentive and while withdrawal is hard, he got me through it.
I know this is long, but Dr. Imas is worth my time to say thanks. Please don't think that I see only good things, more in a bit on that. Everything he has done will make him less and less necessary. That's pretty unselfish to me. I no longer have to go every month, which makes me feel good. I know that I am probably going to have some health issues for the rest of my life, so I love that together, we are creating recognizable results.
I've read the complaints about long waits and staff issues, and I have also had some frustrations. Ultimately for me, it's about perspective. When i think about it, i have to remember that this is a doctor who really listens and gives me the time I need, not just on the first visit, but every time I see him. I choose to allow some extra time because I understand that delays can happen when patients ahead of me need extra time. We all need that sometimes. I can also see that he really hates to keep people waiting, he is not above apologies when needed.
So for a while now, I've been trying to figure out why there have been delays and staff issues, and whether I wanted to continue with DPR. A few observations show me a very human situation; one where a doctor is working on improving himself (becoming double board certified in addiction and pain management) and his business (hiring another doctor and bringing on more staff) while raising a young family. I would imagine that he has more demands on his time than I would want to have, but I admire him for working on it all while remaining down to earth and keeping his sense of humor.
I think that one of the best clues to what makes Dr. Imas tick is all over the walls of his office. He's a cartoonist by hobby. What does he draw? Superheroes. hmmmm...... :). It fits with everything else I've learned about him. . He seems like a man who wants to help. I guess I've come to the conclusion that like most of us, he Is learning and improving as he goes. ".....when we know better, we do better."
I should stop here before you figure out that not only do I think Dr. Imas is good at what he does, warts and all, I believe that this is a good guy. If you are deciding whether to see him, I hope this helps.
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